


It's Magic

by witchybelle4u2



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Magic, Not Beta Read, Ritual Sex, Rituals, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 16:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19360294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchybelle4u2/pseuds/witchybelle4u2
Summary: If Tyler had been anyone else, if he’d been able to sleep at night, he might not have noticed the strange light. But he wasn’t and he couldn’t. He was Tyler and he was wide awake at nearly one o’clock in the morning, standing at his bedroom window, staring absently at the large expanse of woodland that hugged his backyard.His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the strange light, deep in his personal stretch of forest. His sanctuary. If his best friend been there, Josh would probably have insisted the light was something otherworldly. Aliens, probably. Tyler smiled at the idea of bug-eyed aliens frolicking in his woods. The smile didn’t last long, though. Tyler wasn’t the dreamer Josh was; he was more inclined to go straight to worst-case-scenario. At that moment, his worst-case-scenario was fire.Oh, God. His forest was burning.





	1. Part One

If Tyler had been anyone else, if he’d been able to sleep at night, he might not have noticed the strange light. But he wasn’t and he couldn’t. He was Tyler and he was wide awake at nearly one o’clock in the morning, standing at his bedroom window, staring absently at the large expanse of woodland that hugged his backyard.

His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the strange light, deep in his personal stretch of forest. His sanctuary. If his best friend been there, Josh would probably have insisted the light was something otherworldly. Aliens, probably. Tyler smiled at the idea of bug-eyed aliens frolicking in his woods. The smile didn’t last long, though. Tyler wasn’t the dreamer Josh was; he was more inclined to go straight to worst-case-scenario. At that moment, his worst-case-scenario was fire.

Oh, God. His forest was burning. Tyler went cold all over as he started to sweat. Even at his distance, Tyler could make out the distinctive red, yellow, orange hues of a fire.

_I have to call someone,_ he thought. Before he could reach for the cellphone on the dresser though, another thought struck him.

_It hasn’t gotten any bigger._ He’d been staring out the window at the strange light for several moments, but it appeared to be roughly the same size and shape as it had when he’d first spotted it. Tyler was willing to put money on the light being a fire – but a controlled one.

A campfire?

The high, wire fences and “keep out” signs were supposed to ensure his and Jenna's privacy. There was no way a camper could accidentally wander into Tyler’s forest without realizing they were on private property. If they weren’t there by mistake, it could only mean something bad, something sinister...

To his shame, Tyler’s first thought was, _Stupid Clikkies! How dare they invade our privacy!_ His rage was immediately doused by a wave of guilt. Even when they crossed the line, Tyler still loved and appreciated his fans. After all, he wouldn’t _have_ his house or the property that it sat on without those fans.

He might have chosen to deal with it in the morning, had Jenna not sighed in her sleep at that moment, rolling over in bed. The guilt beating at Tyler’s shore was dashed away in a surge of protectiveness. He wasn't particularly fierce or frightening, but Tyler would take down anyone who threatened his wife. He'd go to bat against the whole damned Clique, if he thought she was in danger because of them.

Blood singing with anger, Tyler stormed from the house in a protective rage. He only slowed when, reaching the forest's edge away from the light of the house, he realized he'd left his phone in the house.

The small woodland was one of Tyler's favorite places on earth. He'd spent hours losing and finding himself under its green canopy but, at night, it was a completely different world. Tyler stumbled over roots he was certain hadn’t been there during the day, grumbling at himself for forgetting his phone.

_Never mind falling on your face,_ he thought grumpily. _How are you going to call for help if it does turn out to be some dangerous thug?_

His step faltered, then picked up again, even more determined than before. It didn't matter _who_ it was; Tyler would defend his home, his wife – even if it meant getting his scrawny butt kicked in the process.

Which, to be fair, it might.

Tyler's trek through the dark forest earned him enough scrapes and bruises to look as though he'd already been in a fight. His protectiveness had nearly been overshadowed by annoyance by the time he finally caught sight of a light through the underbrush. He was just annoyed enough to burst through the trees and shout at the trespassers – and he might have, if not for the music.

Okay, maybe music wasn't the right word. There was a kind of drumbeat, but the sound came from the slapping of hands on thighs and the stomping of feet on the ground rather than any machine. Some sort of pipe sang out a shrill, airy tune over the top. Voices spoke in a rhythmic rise and fall that was mesmerizing. Tyler tried to make out the words, but they sounded like gibberish to him.

Something about that chanting made Tyler forget his anger. He moved forward more cautiously, careful not to do anything that might interrupt the captivating sound. His first glimpse of the clearing beyond the trees confirmed his suspicions: there was a bonfire burning in the middle of his forest. Suddenly, though, that unwelcome fire seemed the least interesting thing there because it was surrounded by people in the most outrageous garb he'd ever seen.

And there'd been a fan dressed as a vulture at their last concert.

Tyler stared in awe at the strange creatures before him. Some wore robes that reminded him of the Bishops in their music videos, but these were in shades of moonlight, gemstones, and growing things. Others wore crowns made of flowers or had tiny bells woven into their hair. None of them wore shoes; their bare feet kicked up dirt as they moved in unison around the fire.

_I'm dreaming,_ Tyler thought, squeezing his eyes shut. There was no way the scene in front of him was real. He shook his head to clear the image but, when he opened his eyes, it was still there – and even more surreal. The dancers fell back as a lone figure, moved in front of the flames.

_Now I_ know _this isn't real._

The man had his back to Tyler. Firelight danced across the curves of his toned flesh. It illuminated the wide swath of leaves hanging low over his bare hips and the horns nestled in his dark, curly hair. Tyler had the impression that the man had stepped right out of the forest, like he was some sort of woodland god. The thought shook Tyler's hard-won belief in God.

An uneasy shiver raised the hairs on his arms. He rubbed them to chase the feeling away. Then the horned man turned, and it was all Tyler could do to keep from gasping aloud. He _knew_ that strange figure; knew it as well as he knew his own reflection.

_Josh?!_

There was no doubt it was the drummer. Tyler could draw those tattoos in his sleep. He knew that aquiline nose and the powerful shoulders; recognized the sculpted chest and the pointed jaw, despite the distance between them.

But the creature haloed by the fire wasn't the Josh he knew. It was something... else. Something wild and powerful, without the constant worry and Anxiety that made Josh retreat into the background whenever he could. This Josh was full of an energy, a purpose that commanded every person in the clearing to take note.

Tyler took note.

He watched, almost too afraid to breathe, lest it break the strange spell, as Josh-Not Josh crossed the clearing. The others had fallen into a wide circle where they sat swaying to the rhythm that had stopped but somehow still lingered in the air. Josh held out a hand to one of the seated women. She rose. Her cloak fell unnoticed to the ground.

Beneath the cloak, the woman wore a simple shift dress of flowing white. She took the hand Josh offered with a knowing smile and followed him to the middle of the circle. Josh spoke to the woman in a voice too low for Tyler to hear over the chanting that had resumed or... never stopped... or... he didn't know. Where was that noise _coming_ from?

The woman nodded and – Tyler missed how – the fastening on the back of her dress was released. It fell, pooling around her. Josh followed it down, kneeling at the woman's dirty, bare feet. He said something that the circle of people echoed before bowing to kiss them. To Tyler's amazement and chagrin, Josh made his way up the woman's naked body, placing a kiss to several spots – some quite intimate – until he reached her lips.

Although both were nude, the kisses were somehow chaste. There was no arousal, no sexuality in them but there was something deeper. Something older. Something Tyler was afraid to think about for too long.

After kissing the woman's lips, Josh took a step back. Tyler found himself inexplicably glad the odd display was over… until the woman knelt at Josh's feet and began the process all over again.

It was a kind of torture, watching the woman work her way up his best friend's body – especially when she got to his penis! Tyler found his own clothes suddenly uncomfortable and, irrationally, wished he could also be rid of them. He adjusted the growing bulge in his jeans but found that touching himself only made matters worse.

Tyler didn't know how the others could sit and watch the... performance? without reacting. It was driving him mad! By the time she reached the organ half-hidden by a cluster of leaves, Tyler couldn't bear the constraints of his jeans any longer. Both excited and ashamed, driven nearly mad with longing, Tyler freed himself from the too-tight pants and took hold of himself. If any of the strangers or – God forbid! – _Josh_ saw him masturbating, there in the woods, Tyler would die of embarrassment. But the dancers were on their feet again, moving around the nude figures. No one so much as glanced in his direction.

Oh, how Tyler wished he could pretend his arousal was due to the naked woman in the circle! But truth be told, he couldn’t take his eyes off Josh’s nude form. He was mesmerized by the way the light of the fire danced across the other man’s flesh as the woman placed a kiss to each of his nipples. How Josh's strong hands splayed across her hips to help steady her as, rising on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss to his lips. How the horns rising up from his riotous curls seemed to belong there, as if they had always been there and Tyler was only just noticing them for the first time.

Under the moonlight, dappled with shadow and flame, Josh was a primal force – one that called Tyler join the strange celebration. He had to grab a nearby tree branch with one hand to keep his... _desire_ from pulling him forward. How he managed to stay quiet and in one place as he pleasured himself to the beat of their tribal chanting was beyond him.

Their exchange completed, Josh and the unknown woman joined the dance. Watching Josh as he twisted and writhed, bent and rose, Tyler let himself forget about right and wrong. He forgot to be ashamed that he was getting off to the sight of his best friend dancing nude by the light of a bonfire – a fire that sparked and grew to a deafening roar that did nothing to dull the chanting filling Tyler's mind. Finally, when he couldn't take another second, when the music reached fever pitch, Tyler let himself explode.

Across the clearing, the fire fell back to an easy blaze as the dancers collapsed together, laughing joyously, their energy spent.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m a witch, Ty.” Josh finally said the words he’d been avoiding for years. They didn’t come willingly to his tongue. It was so difficult to spit the words out it felt like he was choking on them. 
> 
> “A witch? But... you’re a guy!”

When the ritual ended, Josh hurried his coven along. Usually, the solstice celebration would have gone on most of the night – but they didn’t usually have observers hidden in the brush. He carefully placed his horned headpiece inside his duffle bag and pulled the zipper shut as he waited for everyone else to pack up.

“You coming?” the coven’s High Priestess asked. Cloak tossed over one arm, she shoved her feet into a pair of sandals.

“Nah, I’ll catch up with you,” Josh told her, fiddling with the bag’s handles. “I’ve got something to do.”

The High Priestess nodded sympathetically. She gave Josh’s arm a comforting squeeze and urged the others forward to pick their way through the dark forest. When the last one had vanished into the trees, Josh took a deep, steadying breath before speaking.

“You can come out now, Ty,” he said loud enough to carry to Tyler’s hiding spot.

There was a muffled gasp, then two saplings parted. Tyler’s face appeared between them. His face was a picture of surprise. “You knew I was there?”

Josh didn’t tell the other man that _everyone_ knew he was there. That you can’t stand so close to a magic circle without alerting the elements. That sex is power – or that the coven could barely control all the power Tyler had inadvertently added to their ritual.

Tyler Joseph was clearly a very passionate man.

Glad he’d swapped jeans for his ritual garb, Josh shifted uncomfortably. If he’d still worn only the belt made of silk leaves he favored as High Priest, Tyler would be able to tell exactly what was on Josh’s mind.

_Him._

Focusing on the ritual had become increasingly impossible after Tyler entered the forest. Josh – who knew the land nearly as well as the man who owned it – could sense the shift that ran through the earth beneath his feet; could smell Tyler’s unique scent on the wind that sifted through the full, summer canopy rustling overhead; could feel Tyler’s rage pulsing across the distance between them.

Tyler had entered the woods ready for a battle. Not that there would have been any fight on Josh’s part. He couldn’t exactly be mad at Tyler for ruining the ritual – they were on _his_ property without his permission, after all. It didn’t matter if Jenna had known they would be there because Josh would never throw her under the bus that way. No, Josh would take the blame and, undoubtedly, the responsibility for the end of their friendship because, once Tyler knew what Josh really was, he wouldn’t want to associate with a witch.

But that wasn’t the way it had happened, much to Josh’s surprise. (And gratitude.) Of course, Tyler looked shell-shocked at the moment, like he couldn’t believe his eyes, so maybe he just hadn’t processed it yet...

“What- What _was_ that?” Tyler demanded as he crossed the meadow. His eyes were wide and wary. Josh noticed the other man kept a few feet between them when he stopped. It hurt.

_No point trying to lie,_ Josh thought. _If I don’t tell him, Google will._

“Magic,” he said simply.

Tyler’s eyes narrowed. Twin circles of color touched his cheeks. His hands balled into fists. “If you’re going to make fun of me, I’m leaving.”

Josh lunged forward to catch his friend’s wrist as he turned to leave. Tyler glanced down at the spot where their flesh touched. His breath hitched audibly. Power surged between them.

 “Ty, wait,” Josh said. His breath came hard, dragging against his ribcage to come out ragged and uneven. He felt as though he’d run a marathon.

Looked like Tyler was having a tough time breathing too. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily through parted lips. Josh felt a thrill of excitement at the possibility that he might be affecting Tyler as much as the other man was affecting him.

_Of course, he could just be building up to a good explosion..._

Josh had seen it often enough: when a clumsy roadie nearly busted up Tyler’s piano case while moving it; when venue officials threatened to sue if he climbed anything higher than a stepladder; when sound guys got it wrong and when equipment burned out. He’d never had Tyler’s anger directed at _him_ , though, and he dreaded it. Even if he _did_ deserve it. He had, after all, been lying to Tyler for years. Josh had never meant for the lie to last. It had started as an omission, then grown into deceit.

At first, Josh simply didn’t mention the fact that he was a witch – nothing personal, just a habit one got into if they didn’t want to be burned at the stake. As their friendship grew, however, the time just never seemed right. Tyler had spent so much time fighting to understand his own god in those early days that Josh couldn’t bring himself to confuse things by throwing his own gods into the mix.

They’d spend many long hours talking about faith – about God and Hell and all the things between. Tyler had shared his doubts and fears. A dozen times or more, Josh wanted to blurt out his own. In the end, though, Josh had bottled it. He pretended to share his best friend’s beliefs because, then, keeping Tyler’s friendship was important enough to keep the secret. And, now...

Now?

Now, Josh couldn’t bring himself to let go of Tyler, for fear that the other man would disappear into the darkness and out of his life forever.

“Please, let me explain,” he pleaded.

Tyler hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Okay, but if you expect me to believe that you’re-” His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. “You don’t even like Harry Potter!”

Josh nearly laughed at Tyler’s outrage. _That_ was the part he had a problem with?

“Not everyone in the world has to love Harry Potter!” he argued, falling into the old argument.

“Well, not everyone is trying to convince their best friend that magic is real!”

An awkward silence descended upon them. Josh still had one hand around Tyler’s wrist. The time to release him had come and gone but, still, Josh held on. He held on to Tyler like a drowning man clinging to a lifejacket. Without Tyler, Josh knew he would drown.

“Magic _is_ real,” Josh said quietly but firmly, “whether you believe in it or not.”

Tyler’s bottom lip stuck out. “Yeah, well, Harry Potter is good, even if you pretend you don’t like it.”

They were avoiding the real issue, both afraid to be the one to bring it up. The one to take things one step too far to be saved. Eventually, Josh forced himself to put a toe over that line. Slowly, reluctantly, he released his hold on Tyler, one finger at a time. He waited for the other man to move away and could have cried with relief when Tyler didn’t.

“So... uh, I guess I should explain... well, _everything_...”

“Remind me to get you a dictionary for Christmas,” Tyler grumbled, “so you can look up ‘understatement.’”

Tyler could still see a future when they were on speaking terms at Christmas. That gave Josh confidence.

“Where do you want to start?”

Pressing his lips together, Tyler rubbed a hand across his short hair. “Let’s start with you bringing a bunch of strangers onto my property,” he said, eyes blazing. “How often does _that_ happen?”

Had he really thought Tyler would start with an easy question? He sighed.

“Eight times a year for our major holidays,” Josh began. He hurriedly added, “and once a month on full moons,” when Tyler opened his mouth to, Josh assumed, tell him off. Might as well get the yelling over in one go.

“Jesus, Josh!” Tyler exclaimed. “How could you bring all those people here? Jenna’s up there asleep,” he said, waving a hand behind him to the house beyond the trees. “I thought you cared about _her_ more than that, even if you didn’t give a damned about _me_. What if she’d seen the light? What if...”

His words trailed off. A frown tugged the corners of his lips down. “Jenna knows.” It wasn’t a question.

“Jenna has nothing to do with this!” Josh insisted.

Tyler returned Josh’s denial with raised eyebrows. “How long has she known?”

Josh wanted to lie, to spare Jenna from the mess he’d gotten her into, but knew he couldn’t get out of the web of lies he’d been clinging to by spinning more. He ducked his head. “She’s always known.”

“Of course she did.” Tyler didn’t look surprised. Furious, but not surprised. He took a couple of steps away and Josh’s heart sank. He was leaving after all. But then Tyler spun on the spot and stalked back. Pacing. Typical Tyler.

“Sit down, Ty,” Josh said, motioning to a fallen tree nearby.

“I don’t want to sit down!” Tyler snapped. “I want to... I dunno, throw stuff. I wanna climb to the top of this tree and scream.”

Josh looked up at the tree Tyler stood next to. “I wouldn’t pick that one, man. A woodpecker’s been nesting in it for months and it’s getting surly. Might chuck you out for the hell of it.”

Tyler stopped dead. He stared hard at Josh. “Are you messing with me?”

Shaking his head, Josh plonked himself down on the fallen tree. After a moment, a wide-eyed Tyler joined him.

“How can you know that? You can’t... talk to the trees or something, can you? _Can you_?”

Josh tugged at the frayed knee of his jeans. He’d spent an hour artfully ripping in a hole in them when he’d first purchased them so the “Tyler” tattoo underneath would show. Yeah... he’d had it bad for a while. That was part of the reason he’d kept his secret from Tyler for so long: he didn’t want the other man looking at him like he was evil. Or, crazy.

Like he was now.

“Trees don’t talk much,” Josh said, unable to meet Tyler’s eye. “But birds, they’re chatterboxes. They’ll tell you a story about every blade of grass in the meadow, if you let them.”

Tyler was silent for a moment. “Josh, I- God. I’m having a hard time believing all this.”

Who wouldn’t?

“I’m a witch, Ty.” Josh finally said the words he’d been avoiding for years. They didn’t come willingly to his tongue. It was so difficult to spit the words out it felt like he was choking on them.

“A witch? But... you’re a guy!”

Letting out a quick, dry laugh, Josh shook his head. “Witches are guys and girls and everything in between. It’s not really what we _are_ , though, it’s more about what we _have_. How do I explain? It’s just something sleeping inside that some of us have woken up.”

“Like cancer?”

Josh cringed. It wasn’t the comparison he would have made.

“Well, I guess – but I’d rather have magic.”

Tyler thought for a moment. “How did you wake it up?”

“My father’s mother – you remember her?” Tyler nodded. “Well, she was a witch. She taught me.” Josh didn’t mention that she’d taught _all_ the kids. _Leave_ some _shock for later_ , he thought miserably. 

“Wow. I’m trying to picture Granny Dunn as a witch and just... wow.” Tyler faced Josh. “Oh. My. God. Does your grandmother dance around naked in the woods, too?” He looked scandalized.

Josh let out a laugh, a real laugh, then. “Eww! No! And it’s called skyclad. Like, clothed only in the sky.”

“That’s kind of beautiful.”

Josh nodded his agreement. “Yeah, it is.”

Tyler cleared his throat. He rubbed his palms on the knees of his jeans. “I, um... What I mean is ‘you’ were kind of beautiful. You know, to watch. I don’t know what the leaf thing was about and I’m not sure I want to know but...”

Blood rushed through Josh’s veins so quickly it filled his ears with a dull roar. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Tyler thought he was beautiful?

“... _damn_. I totally get why Clikkies are always throwing themselves at you now.” He glanced up at Josh through his lashes. “That forest god thing looked good on you.”

Josh didn’t give himself time to think about what he was doing; didn’t wait long enough to talk himself out of it. He saw the look of appreciation in Tyler’s eyes, felt the attraction radiating off him in waves, and went for it. Leaning forward, Josh slid his hand up to cup the back of Tyler’s head as he caught his lips in a kiss filled with years’ of longing.

His mind, his body exploded with sensation. The feel of Tyler’s surprisingly soft lips... The rough bark beneath the palm he used to steady himself as he urged Tyler backward... The warm summer breeze against the bare flesh of his back... The wild pounding of his heart, answered by the echoing staccato of Tyler’s... The growing heat between them, a slow simmer that grew hotter when Tyler’s hands rose to grasp Josh’s shoulders...

It was Tyler who broke the kiss, clinging to Josh as he gasped for breath. His brow furrowed as he searched the other man’s face. His eyes were heavy, unfocused. “Are you using magic on me now?”

The question struck Josh like a fist to his gut. He jumped up, putting distance between them. His voiced dripped with pain when he said, “Do you really think I would do that to you?”

Tyler passed a hand across his short hair before shaking his head. “No,” he answered honestly, “I don’t. It’s just...”

“Just _what_?” Josh asked. He didn’t bother trying to soften the hard edge to his voice.

Pressing his lips together in a familiar display of uncertainty, Tyler fought some sort of internal battle. Josh watched it play out across Tyler’s face, unable – unwilling – to interfere.

_You shouldn’t have kissed him_ , he scolded himself. _You crossed the line. There’s no going back. He’s going to-_

“It’s just that I want you so much I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t have you!”

Satisfaction tried to twist the corners of Josh’s mouth into a grin at Tyler’s embarrassed outburst. He fought to conceal the smile, knowing Tyler wouldn’t appreciate the gesture for what it was.

Joy.

“Oh, honey,” Josh said as he rose, approaching Tyler, “that’s magic, alright, but not the kind you’re thinking of.”

Tyler swallowed hard. Josh noticed the other man’s gaze drop to his bare chest – and lower. His own body reacted instinctively.

“Wh- what kind of magic is it?”

Josh stopped fighting the smile. He caught Tyler’s hand and tugged him to his feet. Taking Tyler by the hips, Josh pulled the other man forward to meet his own hard body.

“Let me show you.”


End file.
